How to Tie A Kamikaze Sculpin Fly

A well-thought-out sculpin imitation created by Matt Winkler, the Kamikaze Sculpin brings a realistic profile with just enough weight to get down where the true predators live. Combining a range of natural materials, this fly has excellent action in the water, and with it's unorthodox hook-point-down-design, you can get away with using a larger hook that has less risk of injuring fish--a common problem when fishing flies that ride hook point up. An easy streamer to tie, you can adapt the Kamikaze Sculpin to match the forage in your local waters, and it's a very solid pattern to keep in your box from the spring through winter.

We've put together a kit that contains all the materials you need to tie this exact fly pattern.

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Materials List:

• Tiemco 5263 Hook - Size 4
• UTC 140 Denier Thread - Olive
• Hareline Pseudo Eyes - Large - Black/Chartreuse
• Hareline Ice Wing Fiber - Olive
• Hareline Finn Racoon Zonker - Olive
• Hareline Ice Dubbing - Olive
• Hareline Mallard Flank Feather - Olive
• Hareline Magnum Frostip Rabbit Strip - Black Olive

Step One

Begin your thread with a jam knot roughly one-and-a-half eye's length behind the hook's eye. Once your thread is secure, we will immediately add the eyes, which will be tied on the underside of the hook. When you're tying the eyes in, be sure to lock them in with a variety of figure-eight wraps and "helicopter" wraps (wraps around the bottom of the eye) in order to really seat them. Once secure, increase their durability with a few drops of Super Glue or Zap-A-Gap.

Step Two

Now run your thread back to the rear of the hook, just above the hook's barb. Once there, grab a small clump of Ice Wing and tie it in at the tail--be sure to leave an equal amount of fibers facing towards the front of the fly, as once the tail is tied in, you will need to reverse those fibers and tie them down. Doing this creates a fuller tail while also increasing durability. Note: the tail may look long, but don't worry, we will trim it later.

Step Three

Now grab a section of barred zonker strip and measure it so that a tail extends roughly a hook gap's length behind the fly, and tie it in. To tie it in neatly, you will need to create a separation in the fibers with your finger and tie it in in that gap--wetting your fingers will help keep the fibers separate. Do not cut the excess, this will become part of the fly later; using a material clip or hair clip helps to keep it out of your way.

Step Four

Create a dubbig loop with your thread and prepare some olive Ice Dub to build the loop. You'll need dubbing wax and a dubbing spinner for this step. Wax your loop and add the dubbing inside of the loop--be sure to have the dubbing equally portioned along the loop. Once that's done, spin the loop with your tool to create your dubbing loop and wrap it up the hook shank all the way to the point behind the eye. Once there, tie the loop off and trim the excess.

Step Five

Now take a dubbing brush, comb, or your bodkin and pick the dubbing brush out to create a more full body.

Step Six

Now remove the excess zonker strip from the clip and pull it forward. Tie it in just behind the eyes. You can now trim the excess.

Step Seven

Measure a dyed olive mallard flank feather that has fibers that extend beyond the bend of the hook. After you've selected your feather, remove the fluff from the base of the stem and tie it in by the tip just behind the fly's eyes.

Step Eight

Make as many wraps as your feather allows behind the eye and be sure to sweep the fibers rearward as you wrap them. Once your collar is finished, tie the feather off and trim the excess stem. You may need to make a few wraps of thread over the collar to ensure that the fibers lay back neatly.

Step Nine

Create another dubbing loop with your thread that's about 5"-6" long; this time we will use a Magnum Frosttip Rabbit Strip to create the dubbing loop. Transfer the Rabbit Strip into a Dubbing Hair Clip and trim the hide--this is much easier than putting the fibers into the loop and then trimming the hide. Once this is done, wax your thread and transfer the fibers into the loop and then spin the dubbing spinner to create the dubbing loop.

Step Ten

Now that you've created your dubbing loop, wrap a head. Be sure to make a few wraps behind the eyes and on both the top and bottom of the eyes, as well as a couple of wraps in front of the eyes. Doing this will ensure that you have a nice complete profile.

Step Eleven

Now whip finish the head of the fly and cut your thread. You can add some head cement after whip finishing to really lock things in.

Step Twelve

The final step is to trim the Ice Wing that we initially tied in. You want this to be roughly the length of the tail and you should try and trim the fibers in varied lengths, so that they aren't flush and unnatural-looking.

The Kamikaze Sculpin is now finished, and as we look towards the end of fall and the beginning of winter, this is an excellent pattern to use when you're looking to coax a large fish into eating a hefty meal.